Stephen Curry, Kobe Bryant take steps forward

LOS ANGELES -- Point guard Stephen Curry participated in noncontact drills in the Warriors' light practice at UCLA on Thursday.

So the Golden State star, who missed the home loss to Memphis the day before, is one step closer to returning from a mild concussion. If all goes well, he could be in the lineup Friday night when the Los Angeles Lakers host the Warriors.

Kobe Bryant's returning to action Friday, however, seems more of a long shot. The Lakers star, recovering from a torn right Achilles, is closer to making his season debut after having no setbacks from Wednesday's practice -- his first 5-on-5 action.

D'Antoni told reporters that Bryant -- who ruptured his Achilles in a home game against Golden State in April -- was "a few games" away from a return. The Lakers' Twitter feed announced that Bryant was given the day off Thursday: "Was a little sore from the past two days, just taking it slow and being cautious.

Golden State is also being cautious with Curry, who sustained the concussion in Monday's win at Utah. The Warriors said his only symptom was a headache -- which presumably was gone, freeing him for noncontact work.

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If Curry is symptom-free after the work he did Thursday, he can advance to the next step in the concussion protocol: contact practice.

Friday's shoot-around is the last opportunity for him to pass this hurdle. It's usually a light walk-through, but the Warriors can create some contact opportunities for him, such as three-on-three action. How he responds to that would determine if he can play Friday night.